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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — a video
  3. content — the amount
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — a tin
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — a permit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — happy
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. can — a tin
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com